This application claims the priority of German application DE 101 04 790.8, filed on Feb. 2, 2001, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a crossmember for an instrument panel of a vehicle which can be mounted, crosswise, in the vehicle forestructure, with its two ends mounted on opposite body components, the crossmember comprising a tubular main support bar, several mounting brackets positioned on said main support bar with spaces therebetween and designed for mounting the crossmember on the sides of the vehicle body, and at least one bracket designed to hold a bolt-on component of the instrument panel, wherein at least one flat alignment surface is formed on the main support bar via internal, high-pressure metal forming, and the at least one bracket includes one or more flat stop surfaces that rest up against the alignment surface.
A crossmember for an instrument panel, also called a cockpit crossmember, is known from German Patent Document 196 18 626 A1. This crossmember is equipped with a main support bar, which comprises a hollow, profiled element that is circular in cross-section. The arrangement further comprises two mounting brackets, one at either end of the tubular main support bar, which serve to connect the cockpit crossmember to opposite components of the vehicle body. Further, at least one bracket designed to hold a bolt-on component of the cockpit, also referred to as the instrument panel, is also included on the main support bar. As is illustrated in this publication, a flat alignment surface is formed on the main support bar via internal high-pressure metal forming. A flat mounting face that is formed on the bracket rests up against this alignment surface. To enable this bracket to be fastened to the main support bar, the main support bar is shaped during the internal high-pressure metal forming process such that it will hold a mounting element that is attached to the bracket. To produce the known cockpit crossmember, both the main support bar and the bracket to be fastened thereon are placed in recesses into a form that contains impressions, into which the main support bar material can flow during the internal high-pressure metal forming process. The disadvantage of this known cockpit crossmember is that it is costly to produce.
It is thus an aspect of the invention to create a crossmember of the type described above that will allow bolt-on components of the instrument panel to be precisely positioned, while the production of the crossmember remains simple.
This aspect is attained, in certain preferred embodiments of the invention, with a crossmember for an instrument panel of a vehicle, especially a passenger car, having at least first and second flat alignment surfaces for the at least one bracket provided on the main support bar, wherein the two alignment surfaces, viewed in a circumferential direction around the main support bar, are spaced a certain distance from one another, wherein the bracket comprises at least two flat stop surfaces, and wherein the bracket is permanently welded to the main support bar. Further advantageous embodiments of the crossmember are provided in further embodiments.
Advantages provided by the crossmember specified in certain preferred embodiments of the invention, hereinafter referred to as the cockpit crossmember, are that the bracket can be mounted on the main support bar without being taken up in a mold. With the two alignment surfaces, the bracket can be positioned precisely on the main support bar and then welded to it. Furthermore, by welding the bracket to the main support bar, a secure and permanent bond can be guaranteed. By precise alignment of the bracket position, bolt-on components of the cockpit or the instrument panel can also be attached in precise alignment, thus allowing basically equal spacing between bolt-on components on the finished instrument panel, resulting in an advantageous or attractive form for the cockpit.
A possibility for mounting an additional bolt-on component, or an additional bracket, in the cockpit is specified in certain further embodiments by at least one flat, third alignment surface formed on the main support bar and containing at least one opening into which a snap or rivet nut can be inserted for mounting an additional bolt-on component of the instrument panel to the support bar. Because the snap nut or rivet nut lies up against the flat alignment surface, this nut is aligned precisely on the main support bar, so that the bolt-on component or the bracket can be fastened to it in precise alignment.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, which provides that the bracket is permanently welded to the main support bar on at least one of the alignment surfaces, an essentially even, narrow gap between the bracket and the main support bar will permit a more advantageous weld seam.
In one preferred exemplary embodiment of the cockpit crossmember, the mounting brackets are welded to the main support bar, wherein the mounting brackets extend at a preset first angle relative to the plane that is formed by transverse and vertical axes of the vehicle, and wherein the first and second alignment surfaces each for a preset second angle with said plane, the cockpit, along with the main support bar and a bracket having a pedal for a parking brake coupled to the bracket such that it can pivot, can be advantageously installed and mounted in the vehicle as a single unit; it is then necessary only to secure the power transmission mechanism, e.g. the parking brake cable, to the pedal.
According to a further development of the invention having one or more flat positioning surfaces for use in aligning an instrument module of the vehicle formed on the main support bar via internal high-pressure metal forming, an instrument panel can be supported against or aligned with at least one flat positioning surface, allowing an attachment of the instrument panel in precise alignment on the cockpit crossmember. Alternatively, or in addition to this, an alignment opening, which is designed to accept a positioning pin that is part of the instrument panel, may be provided on the main support bar. This will allow the instrument panel to be held firmly and precisely in place on the main support bar, relative to the crosswise and vertical axes of the vehicle.
In an exemplary embodiment, at least part of a cross-section of the main support bar, viewed along the lateral axis of the vehicle, comprises a section that is concave, forming a shell-shaped recess for a wiring harness of the vehicle. A wiring harness can be advantageously mounted securely on the cockpit crossmember.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.